Chapter Ⅰ Bronze in Remote Antiquity 1
Rosy Copper and Brass 2
A Brief History of Bronze 4
The Age of Cold Weapons 8
Chapter Ⅱ Bronze Sacrificial Vessels 11
The Social Hierarchy of Ancient China 12
Sacrificial Vessels 16
Classification of Ritual Vessels 20
Ritual Activities of the Feudal Princes 28
Sacrificial Offerings and Utensils 33
Chapter Ⅲ Bronze Sculpture 37
Types of Bronze Sculpture 38
Modeling of Bronze Wares:Characteristics of the Times 44
Local Characteristics of Bronze Sculpture 51
Modeling Methods of Bronze Wares 58
Chapter Ⅳ External Decorations on Bronze Wares 63
The Beauty of Decorative Patterns 64
Taotie Pattern 67
Dragon and Phoenix Patterns 71
Changes of Decorative Patterns 80
Composition of Bronze Decorative Patterns 86
Chapter Ⅴ Inscriptions on Bronze Wares 89
The Importance of Inscriptions on Bronze Wares 90
Forms of Bronze Inscriptions 93
Examples of Bronze Inscriptions 96
Chapter Ⅵ Calligraphy on Bronzes 103
Bronze Inscription Stroke Techniques 104
Structure of Chinese Characters in Bronze Inscriptions 108
Styles of Bronze Inscriptions 110
Chapter Ⅶ Music and the Bronzes 117
Music of the Xia Dynasty 118
Music and Musical Instruments in the Western Zhou Dynasty 120
The Chimes of Marquis Yi of Zeng 123
Chapter Ⅷ The Casting of Bronze Wares 129
The Sources of Copper and Tin 130
Bronze Ware Foundries 138
Casting and Decoration Techniques 143
Chapter Ⅸ Bronze Mirrors 149
Types of Bronze Mirrors 150
Bronze Mirrors before the Warring States Period 152
Bronze Mirrors of the Han Dynasty 154
Bronze Mirrors of the Tang Dynasty 159